Wedding Night Jitters
by chemicaljane
Summary: Bella is waiting for Edward on her wedding night. She reminisces over her wedding day as the bed for two remains missing one occupant. Where is Edward? The clock is ticking as Bella races to find him before it's too late. Adventure romance. ExB pls R
1. Anticipation

A/N: _I wanted to write a one shot story with a steamy love scene but I started writing and found myself distracted. I don't know how long the story will be but it won't be too long because I don't do long winding plots. Steamy love scene should make an appearance at some point. This is my first fan fiction nervous_

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight or the characters. **

CHAPTER ONE

Alone

Alone.

I was in the bedroom alone.

I was still in my wedding dress even though it was late in the evening. I had wanted to take it off as soon as I had entered the house because as beautiful as it was, I was doomed to ruin it forever with a random act of clumsiness. However, the disappointed look that flickered across Edward's face immediately banished all such thoughts.

I would have worn my wedding dress for the rest of my life for the look on his face when he saw me at the church altar. His eyes had glowed with such a fierce pride that I had never seen before. I had also never seen him look so nervous and excited, like the 17 year old boy that he had once been a century ago.

I smiled quietly to myself.

I had felt so giddy and light headed walking up the altar and seeing his face in all its glorious, heartstopping beauty. Butterflies had fluttered in my stomach as I heard all the rustling and whispering as I entered the church.

Angela had given me an encouraging smile and I was glad to have her as my bridesmaid. I barely noticed the sour look Jessica was throwing me from her aisle seat as I slowly and carefully walked down the aisle.

I barely noticed anything when Edward was in the room.

The counterbalance to all the joy I felt was the look on Charlie's face. He was happy; smiling, laughing and being genial with everyone but there was a tinge of silent sadness that never strayed from his face all throughout the day. His daughter was grown up now, the memories of me as a little girl seemed to be fading out of view at an alarming speed for Charlie, I imagined.

Plus, there was my own sadness that reached the pit of my stomach when I thought of the future. A future where Charlie and Renee would no longer exist. Nothing would erase that pain but I comforted myself knowing that my wedding was my last goodbye. He would know that I was leaving him as a person who was loved and who would be loved till the end of my days.

i looked down to see my hands were gripped tightly around a piece of lace on my dress. I untwisted my hands and let the lace drop in its now crinkled form. Damn.

We had an evening reception at the Cullen's house. No hotel could ever match the unparalleled beauty and magnificence that was their house. Pink and cream lanterns were strewn all over the front of the house and porch. Large lanterns hung from the trees which swung delicately in the breeze.

I remembered cutting the cake. I had teased Edward about it before the big day.

"Do vampires eat wedding cake?"

"If necessity requires it."

"Hmm…but I don't want you to be uncomfortable, Edward,"

"Well, it will be _till_ _death do us part_,"

"Maybe we can make a special piece just for you…with grizzly bear filling."

He glowered at me. I laughed.

We had fed each other our cut pieces of cake. Actually, no food entered our mouths. We smushed the cake into each other's faces, laughing loudly and completely carefree. Edward didn't bother to restrain his emotions or sense of self in the company of our vampire and non-vampire reception guests. I was only too happy to delight in the joyful, boyish look on his face along with everyone else.

The sound of my laughter echoed around the bedroom and pulled me out of my memories. I found that I was sitting on the large bed in the middle of the room. The iron wrought bed was an exact replica of Edward's bed in the Cullen's home. This house had been bought by Edward.

We were living just outside of Forks. It was our temporary home before our move to Alaska. I was going to change into a vampire but the timing was still not set. To be truthful, my enthusiasm had waned slightly in the weeks running up to the wedding. Edward was jubilant at first.

"Bella, I can wait. Forever if I have to," he whispered into my ear, his jaw nuzzling into my neck. I didn't have to turn around to know he was smiling broadly.

"I'm not going to let you wait while I age and continue to separate myself further from you. That's not happening" I replied determinedly.

"Okay, message received, over and out," he said dejectedly, letting go of me.

"Edward" I whined.

I was instantly ashamed of myself for whining like that but I needed his arms around me. I felt safe wrapped in his cold, strong arms. I could weather a thousand storms wrapped his arms.

He dutifully put his arms around me. I forgot what I was saying. Were we having a conversation?

I finally gathered my thoughts.

"It's just that I need a little time, to make sure everything is in place for our move and that there are no unexpected problems that require a Bella in human form," I said.

"These unexpected problems wouldn't happen to come in the form of a certain wolf, would they?" he said softly.

There was no bitterness in his voice. He seemed unsure, nervous even, in anticipating my answer.

I gulped and my heart reacted wildly. Edward turned my face towards his penetrating gaze. He took in a breath, ready to speak but no words came out. He was trying desperately to read my emotions. I felt cruel in delaying my reply but I needed to make sure my words came out right.

"Edward, my heart belongs to you. There's no one else who could ever take it away from you. But I need a little time. Marrying you is the surest decision I could ever make in my life and yet I'm still feeling the jitters and nerves that such a decision could bring."

The smooth marble expression of his face flittered with panic and concern. I took another deep breath.

"I want all the changes but I need a little time to adjust. I'm going to be leaving so much behind; I just want to feel right when that time comes when I make that change that can't be undone. You know that Alice said that my wedding and me turning into a vampire will be the turning point for all the decisions that will be made in the near future. Let's make sure nothing can ruin our life together" I said clasping his hand in my own.

I didn't mention anything about Jacob. The piece of my heart that was ragged and torn belonged to him. The piece that had been ripped out when Edward had left. Jacob had helped me hold onto the edges of my sanity and I was thankful for his presence in my life. I had enough perspective to see that now and not be blighted by the pain of my love for him. But our last parting when he lay recovering in his bed was my final goodbye.

I looked into Edward's amber eyes. His pale skin glittered in the shaft of sunlight that was pouring in from the window. He ruffled his bronze hair with a considered look on his face.

"Bella, my love, if time is what you need then that is what I want too. The future isn't set in stone but I'll be right there with you. Together we can face anything,"

"Even the Volturi?"

"Yup, I have Emmet on speed dial,"

"That's not funny, Edward,"

"Oh, but I beg to differ"

"My Edward, the comedian."

"Correction: your Edward, the hilarious comedian and your future husband,"

The word 'husband' sent a swarm of butterflies to my stomach. The butterflies remained as Edward kissed me gently from my forehead to my collarbone.

My hand traced the outlines of my collarbone, trying to remember the feel of his touch. He had been gone for over an hour. All the dizzy excitement of our day had been put on hold. Ten minutes after we crossed the threshold, the phone rang. Carlisle said that Alice was having a vision. He wouldn't specify the details over the phone except for one word - Volturi. This was really bad. Danger could never leave Forks' very own danger magnet alone. Edward had driven immediately to the Cullens' house. I had begged him to take me with him but Carlisle insisted it was safer for me to remain at the house.

I was no longer an excited newlywed. I was playing the waiting game. I peered out of the window, hoping to see a shiny Volvo pull up the drive. Nothing. It was pitch black with the clouds forming a thick blanket to cover the stars. The moon remained hidden.

I sat on the bed and leaned back, letting my head hit the pillow. Ouch. I'd forgotten to take the hairpins out of my hair that had held together my stylish updo. I rolled onto my side as I couldn't be bothered to dismantle it.

I looked at my wedding ring. I was living an enchanted fairytale. I was soon to be transformed and then my fairytale would be complete. The diamond cast a million colours into the light as I slowly rotated the ring around my finger. Where was Edward? What was the news from the Volturi? Were they at the Cullens' house right now?

My anxieties were burning up all my energy. My eyelids were starting to droop.

There was a knock at the front door and I thought I could hear a key turning in the lock. I stirred from my drowsy state.

"Bella?"

"Bella…?"


	2. The Set Up

A/N: _Sorry to take so long to write this next chapter. Thanks for the feedback - it was really nice and motivated me to carry on writing. I won't take so long with the next chapter. _

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight or the characters. **

CHAPTER TWO

"Bella?"

"Bella…?"

I stumbled out of bed and tripped onto the floor. My heart was beating like the wings of a hummingbird. My heel was caught in the hem of my dress which my hands were clumsily trying to free. Finally, I was mobile and I was running down the stairs as fast as my accident-prone self could carry me.

A concerned sounding voice called out my name again. A silhouette figure stood in the doorway. I didn't need the light to recognise who the silhouette belonged to. Fear and panic were battling to take hold of my heart. I was determined that I was not going to be ruled by either. I was going to be calm even though it felt like the sky was falling in. I inhaled slowly and dared to speak.

"Tell me it's not that bad. Whatever it is, it's going to be okay, right?"

"Bella, lets go to the kitchen, we need to talk,"

"I don't want to go the kitchen, let's talk now,"

"Bella, please,"

I looked into Alice's eyes and I could see fear concealed behind them. She was being a model of restraint. She would have grabbed me in her arms and squeezed the life of out me by now. Something was deadly wrong and her cool and collected demeanour was unintentionally scaring the life out of me.

"I want to talk now," my voice cracked on the last word. The tears were quickly forming in the corners of my eyes. I dabbed them away at once. I didn't want to fall apart so quickly and easily. Why did I have to be so weak?

Alice took my hand gently and led me to the kitchen. The coolness of her skin was comforting.

We walked to the kitchen and I sat on the breakfast stool. Alice had picked the colour of the kitchen for us. It was duck egg blue with cream cupboards, a breakfast bar and white stools.

I remembered Edward painting the walls above the tiles. Superhuman speed made painting and decorating so much easier. I had come in when he was waiting for a coat of paint to dry. He had a smudge of blue paint on his nose and tiny flecks of blue in his bronze hair. A crooked smile greeted me and my arms were firmly around his neck in an embrace.

I had kissed him enthusiastically and there was faint smudge of blue on my nose too. When we had finally broken free, we had pointed at the smudges on each others' faces and laughed.

There was no laughter now as Alice and I viewed each other across the breakfast bar.

"Bella, I just want to say that whatever happens, we're going to make it" Alice said firmly.

"Thanks for the pep talk but where's Edward?" I replied sarcastically, trying to mask my panic.

Alice let my remark slide as she continued. "I'm sorry. It all happened so quickly. You know how the date of your wedding would be the catalyst to events that might happen with the Volturi?"

"The Volturi are here?" I was startled. I never imagined that they would be here so soon. Too soon. I hadn't even had the chance to change yet. Only immortality could save me from the Volturi. A weak, fragile human was no match. "How come you didn't tell me they were here?"

"Calm down Bella, I knew they were coming but I saw that their intentions were peaceful and _not_ to cause harm". Alice looked sincere but I wasn't so sure.

"A peaceful mission?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yes, peaceful. They are capable of that." Alice said coolly. "They arrived today and I didn't want to cause any trouble so I decided to keep their arrival a secret. Only Jasper and I knew. However, a snap decision threw the entire mission off. It all happened so quickly late in the evening that there was no time to prepare. Carlisle called Edward because I kept repeating his name in my vision. I wanted him in the house because it seemed the only logical way,"

"The only logical way for what?"

"For keeping you safe" Alice looked at me sternly. "The next thing I knew, there was a knock at the door and that's when they…"

"…took Edward," I finished her sentence in a monotone voice.

Alice was full of sorrow. I tried to focus my eyes on her face as the room spun like a planet knocked out of orbit. Edward was not here. He wouldn't be coming home any time soon either. I felt extremely foolish sitting here in my dress. I tugged at the sleeves in frustration. A tiny bead rolled off my left sleeve onto the floor.

Seeing this tiny little bead trying to escape from me snapped my mind into focus. This dress had brought such joy to Edward when he had seen me in the church earlier today. Was I going to let it slowly fall to pieces and me along with it? I refused to entertain such an idea. I picked up the bead and placed it in a small groove in the counter to stop it rolling away.

If the Volturi wanted a fight then I would take them all on and they would face the wrath of Bella Swan. I just needed to remember how to use my legs first.

"Bella…" Alice said gently as if trying to wake me. She checked her watch.

"Who exactly took Edward?" I asked.

"Jane. She has the whole house surrounded with bodyguards that they brought from Italy. She made the snap decision. She didn't think you were good enough to be changed. She wants to be rid of you. She took Edward hostage. She threatened to hurt him if we tried to fight back."

I felt sick. The last time Jane had seen me, she had been irritated by the lack of effect her powers had on me. The irritation had obviously turned into a full blown grudge that she was going to take out on Edward and me.

"So what do we have to do?" I asked.

Alice's large eyes were searching my face, trying to read some emotion that she couldn't seem to find. She looked at her watch again.

"I have to go, Bella. The bodyguards are still there and I was the only one allowed out to see you on the condition that I came back or she would…" her voice trailed off to let my imagination fill in the rest of the details. A thousand horror movies played in my mind at once.

"But what do I have to do? How do I get him back?" I grabbed Alice's arm as panic was bubbling to the surface once again. "You can see Edward's fate. Tell me how it ends". Tears sprang to my eyes.

"I don't know. There are so many decisions and possible outcomes, it's like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle except all the pieces keep changing shape and colour. All I can tell you is that the rest of the Volturi are not in agreement with Jane's actions. They will do everything to keep her safe but she acted against their wishes. Before she took Edward, I saw where she intended to take him. It's a disused factory on the outskirts of town. I've written down the address."

She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and placed it in my shaking hands. All my hopes rested on this paper. I clutched it to my erratically thumping heart.

"I have to go Bella. The curfew is 11.30pm," She looked at her watch. She got up quickly and kissed me on the cheek.

I followed her towards the door. She turned around to face me, holding my shoulders in her delicate hands. "The answers lie with you, Bella; I know that much is true. You'll figure out the right way and make the right choice. The logical choice."

She flew out of the door, leaving me perplexed with her choice of words. _The logical choice. _I turned the phrase over in my mind for some hidden meaning but I couldn't make any sense of it.

I looked down at the address she had written.

_115 Mercury Boulevard _

If this is where Edward truly was, then this is where I needed to be. I raced up the stairs and began to unzip my dress which fell in a soft rumple to the floor. I yanked the pins out of my hair wildly and took out the suitcase of clothes from the guest bedroom. I tossed out a pair of jeans and a mustard yellow sweater. I thrust my limbs into each piece of clothing and then battled to undo the shoe straps of my satin white kitten heels. I pulled on a pair of striped socks and descended downstairs.

I grabbed my house and car keys, stuffed the paper into my jeans pocket, shoved my feet into my Timberland boots and put on my coat. I shook my hair out which had formed into loose curls from being pinned up all day. I caught my reflection as I dashed out the door.

To some people, I may have looked a mess but inside I felt strong, invincible even. The fear was still threatening to crush my lungs but Alice believed in me and that was enough for me to know I _was_ going to save Edward.

I got into my truck and turned the key in the ignition. I revved it up and backed out of the driveway. The headlights were my only guiding light as I vanished into the darkness.

Edward had been the angel that had saved me so many times before but now it was my turn.

This time, I am going to be the avenging angel with wings of pure steel.


	3. Rescue Mission

**A/N:** I tried to make this action packed. I hope you like it. Please read and review if it pleases you.

**disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters.**

CHAPTER THREE

I was pushing my truck to its limits as I was speeding down the empty road

I was pushing my truck to its limits as I was speeding down the empty road ahead of me. It began to rain and I turned on my windshield wipers. I was completely focused on the task in hand – saving Edward. Was he hurt? Was he being tortured? That Jane may have the face of a sweet angel but her intentions were of the purest evil. She had no problems subjecting Edward to her special brand of torture back in Italy and I was sure she would not hesitate at this moment in time.

There was a strange pain in my hands and I looked down to see the skin on my knuckles was pulled taught as my hands gripped the steering wheel. It was just a fleeting moment that I took my eyes off the road, but it was enough time for me to not notice that something large was darting across in front of the truck. I slammed the brakes and skidded in the puddle of rain that had collected in a slight dip in the road. The car was skidding – the back end of the truck was weaving dangerously. The tires weren't gripping the road like they should. Uh oh. This wasn't good.

What did Charlie teach me about occasions like this? Something about steering into a skid? I would have remembered more clearly if my heart hadn't been thundering so loudly in my chest. The iron force with which I had used to grip the steering wheel in sheer anxiety was now becoming my saving grace as I fought for control over the truck.

A road junction was coming up ahead and I needed to slow down but I was still speeding down the road. I pulled up the hand brake in a panic and the truck spun violently in a circle throwing me towards the passenger seat. My hands stayed on the steering wheel and I closed my eyes, terrified. The truck must have spun round at least half a dozen times or at least it felt like that. My head was spinning and my stomach was ready throw up any undigested pieces of wedding cake I'd eaten earlier.

When the truck had finally come to a standstill, I tentatively opened the door and a blast of cold air and freezing raindrops blew in. My hands were shaking and I was still gulping down the cold air as my heart beat like a drum. _Good one, Bella. You're not even 5 minutes out the front door and you've nearly killed yourself._ I shouldn't have sped so fast when it was raining. I thought I was being focused when really I was just a flustered mess. I had to do better than this. Edward's life depended on it.

I looked out into the road and noticed my truck was in the wrong lane and I was facing any oncoming traffic. Thankfully, there were no cars but instead a creature was sauntering casually towards me. A rather large creature with glowing eyes which may have passed in front of my truck moments earlier. I silently cursed the werewolf – though I didn't know who it was - under my breath.

As he came nearer I noticed he was carrying a crowbar in between his teeth. I could tell from the fur, it was Sam. He dropped the crowbar at my feet and then turned around and disappeared into the nearest bushes by the side of the road. I picked up the crowbar in bewilderment. Sam came back into view with sweatpants on and bare feet. The rain covered every inch of him but he didn't shiver.

"Bella, you're not British are you? It's just that we drive on the right side of the road here,"

"Do you know how to cross the road? Or can't wolves read '_don't walk_' signs? Oh, and sarcasm is not advised when I have a crowbar in my hands"

Sam smiled sheepishly.

"I was following you and needed to get to you fast…I didn't mean for you to nearly crash, sorry."

"You had to rush to give me a crowbar? This is getting weirder every minute,"

"We all know the Volturi are here. Esme phoned Billy and filled him in on the situation after Alice had her vision. We're all on guard watching but we can't make a move yet. We don't want to provoke an attack; Esme said Alice didn't want that so now we're guarding you instead"

"You're watching me?" I shuddered at the thought of an audience watching my every clumsy move.

"Well yeah, Bells. We pretty sure the Volturi don't know about us so we're lying low but trying to keep an eye out for Edward…and you," he said.

"But what's the crowbar for?" I said, swinging it gently through the air, feeling its weight.

"This isn't the time for talking, Bella…"

"_This isn't the…?!"_ I could have thrown the crowbar right into Sam's face. My patience for cryptic clues was running out and I needed to get out of here. I ran my hands through my soaked hair and leaned against the back of the truck, thinking about my next move. I had to go to the factory.

"Well in that case I'm going, see you later, Sam," I said as I hurried into truck.

I caught Sam looking at me quizzically. Of course, there might not be a _'later'_ when I changed. This could be the last time I ever see him. I stopped in my tracks.

"…yeah, see you…" he replied softly.

I smiled back at him apologetically and then turned back to the truck. I started up the engine and slowly turned the truck into the right lane. The wheels had traction underneath the slippery road and I was confident that it was safe to drive again. I checked the rear view mirror but Sam had already disappeared into the night.

The industrial part of town was deserted and eerily quiet at this time of night. I passed a row of factories, all high walls with jagged teeth edged along the top. I spotted 'Mercury Boulevard'. _I'm nearly there. Edward will be waiting_. The rain was a gentle pitter patter on the windshield.

I drove past a dark, ominous building. One row of windows along the side of the factory was smashed in. There was a sense of foreboding about this building, as if it already knew what horrors were contained within. My heart hammered out an unsteady beat as I parked the truck. I put my pocket flashlight in my coat pocket and grabbed the crowbar. The gates were too high to climb and I wasn't going to risk it when it was wet and slippery.

I rattled the chains and padlock that held the gates together. _Nice one, Sam_ I thought as I brought down the crowbar with as much force as I could muster on the padlock. It was looked rusty and ancient but it stubbornly refused to budge. I bashed at the lock in frustration, each hit becoming more ferocious than the last.

I stopped, suddenly aware I was making a bit of a racket. I threaded the end of the crowbar in between the U-shaped loop of the padlock and twisted it, trying to prize it open. Finally, the lock came loose and chains obediently loosened their grip around the gates, clunking to the ground. I was breathing raggedly as I pushed the gate open.

I ran as silently as I could to what I presumed was the front door. I fumbled in the darkness for my flashlight as I walked into a series of small corridors. I could see a dim light ahead which lit up a narrow staircase. This was all too convenient. The door wasn't locked and now my path has already been lit for me? _Think, Bella, think._ I could be walking into a huge trap here. Edward might not even be here anymore. My pulled my coat tightly around myself to contain my shudders. _I am the avenging angel with wings of steel_ I reminded myself– Jane will not get the best of me.

I ran up the stairs which led to a mezzanine floor. I walked to the edge of the floor which looked down onto the vast open factory space below. A dim yellow bulb lit up the area. I shrank back into the shadows. I felt like I was going to be a spectator to something horrible which was yet to unfold.

I walked to the edge again and noticed there was a large beam obscuring my view of something rumpled on the floor. I leaned my head to the side, trying to catch a look. It wasn't something. It was someone. The person had been draped in a thick brown blanket but I could see two hands poking out from underneath. A glint of silver shone from the hands. Could I see shackles on that pair of hands?

"Bell –la, I can see you" a sing-song voice rang out in the emptiness. It was high and reedy and spent shivers down my spine. I looked down below but I couldn't see where the voice was coming from.

"The shackles were for dramatic effect. I know they're useless on vampires…unlike my gift," the voice informed me, quietly.

My blood ran cold. I whipped around to see Jane three feet away me, smiling broadly.

"J-J-J Jane" I stammered, dumbly. My brain was still shocked to see her so close.

"Time for the unveiling," she said with an eager look in her eyes.

I reached out in front of me and caught only air as she darted downstairs in a flash.

She looked up at me from the factory floor and then approached the figure underneath the blanket. With a flourish she whipped the blanket off. She looked down at him, like an artist amazed with her work.

The bronze hair and pale skin sparkled in the dim light.

Edward. My Edward.


	4. Reunited

She looked up at me from the factory floor and then approached the figure underneath the blanket

Edward looked at me startled, then looked away as if ashamed of himself. The pained expression on his heartbreakingly beautiful face made perfect sense to me. He didn't want me here. He knew that his presence had brought me into direct contact with danger. A danger he wanted to keep a thousand miles away from me. But he didn't know that my heart and mind had already made the choice. I wasn't going to leave him like this.

I scanned the area around me. A plan formed into my mind. I had to keep Jane distracted before we could make an escape.

"What have you done?" I hissed at her.

Jane was still enraptured with Edward, gazing at him.

"_A peaceful mission_ said Aro, as if I would ever agree to that," scoffed Jane, looking at me with disgust.

I walked slowly backwards to the edge of the room. Jane walked around Edward, her hands behind her back.

"I'm going to become a vampire, Jane, isn't that what all you Volturi want?" I asked, viewing the workbench nearest to me.

"Oh yes, that's what _they_ want. But you're not good enough for me. Violence and killing are a vampire's natural instincts and yet you and the Cullens go against that. You go against what is supposed to be the natural order in life. Vampires hunt humans. That's the way it's supposed to be." she said bitterly.

"Not everyone believes that. The Cullens made a choice, _the only logical choice_. And they have managed just fine without human blood," I replied, letting my hand trail through a pile of sawdust on the workbench.

"Oh yes, just like that brother-in-law of yours who tried to eat you," she laughed at me.

I'd almost forgotten about that incident. Perhaps I should have mentally crossed off Jasper from the list of vampires able to control their blood thirst.

"That was a while ago, he didn't mean to and he's much better now," I said defiantly. He was still my brother-in-law after all.

"Liar," She scoffed

"Murderer." I hissed between my gritted teeth. Jane marched right up to me.

"What did you say?" she demanded, fury burning in her eyes.

"I said…MURDERER!" I yelled and threw the handful of sawdust I'd collected from the workbench directly into Jane's eyes.

Suddenly, there was chaos. I quickly rushed to the bench to throw the rest of dust into the air, shielding my eyes as I did so. A cloud of dust billowed into the air and I heard the light bulb shatter throwing us into total darkness. Jane was screaming in pain and frustration.

"Run, Edward!" I screamed and felt myself being picked up and slung onto Edward's back. In a blink of an eye we were gone from the factory and I could feel the rain once again on my face, soaking my hair.

We passed my truck.

"Wait, I left my truck" I wailed turning my head back to look at it.

Edward said nothing to me as we made our way home. I closed my eyes to stop from feeling sick and hugged my arms tightly around his neck.

The gentle, steady rhythm of Edward's running pace was making me feel a little sleepy as I rested my head on his shoulders. Finally, we could see the house. Edward slowed down as he saw a figure in white robes sitting on the front step. He had long, white, flowing hair. _If it's not one member of the Volturi, it's another _I thought to myself. This time it was Aro.

"Here we go again," I sighed. I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

I released my arms from Edward. I held his hand and raised it to my cheek. It felt so cold and smooth, like a statue. I looked at his hand in wonder. I had married a walking miracle. Edward smiled reassuringly at me, and then looked at Aro.

"Is this your idea of a peaceful mission?" Edward asked, a faint hint of humour in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Edward, this is a new experience for us all and not everyone is…quite adjusted to it yet," he replied, smiling serenely at us.

"The Cullens – what happened to them?" I said, thinking of poor Carlisle and Esme.

"Oh, don't worry, we ordered the guards to leave them alone. They are free now,"

"Jane will be punished won't she? You believe in punishment, don't you?" I said in a hard voice.

"I admit our dear Jane was foolish, however, she still has her child-like tendencies. Speaking of which I have some bad news, Bella," he said looking at me.

"What?"

My heartbeat jumped.

"Our guards caught her in the factory but she still angry about you escaping so we allowed her to get all her frustrations out,"

"Meaning what exactly?" I asked nervously.

"Meaning she trashed your truck. She found a crowbar nearby. That was a little careless, Bella," he said looking down and smoothing the front of his robes. Was he trying to hide a smile?

"Ugh, that…that…that…" I spluttered. A million expletives ran through my mind on what to call Jane.

Edward hugged my waist. I'm sure he would have put his hand over my mouth to stop me from blurting out something unrepeatable but I wasn't going to be so stupid. I knew that Aro was holding court on the entire proceeding and I shouldn't push my luck.

"Well, I've been telling Bella to get a new car for a while now. I suppose this is the perfect time for a new beginning," Edward said, politely.

"Yes! That's right. A new beginning, how perfect! Oh, I do love a happy ending, now do excuse me, my lift is here," he said as a blacked out Mercedes pulled up to the drive.

"Humph, a new beginning indeed," I muttered to myself. I supposed it made sense but all the memories that came with my truck…another set of memories to be left behind once again...


	5. Brave & Foolish

**A/N:** A big thank you to everyone who has read my story. I finally got to the ending, yay! I'm sorry the story got a bit 'New Moon' re: lack of Edward. this should make up for it ;) it has a citrus flavour to it so be warned.

CHAPTER 5

We watched him leave and waved from our front door

We watched him leave and waved from our front door. My boots squeaked with rainwater as we walked into the house. I took off my coat that was heavy from being rain soaked and hung it on the coat peg in the hallway.

Edward let out a heavy sigh.

"Bella," he murmured.

I turned to look at him. The miracle of our escape suddenly dawned on me. We were safe. We were together when I thought I had nearly lost him forever. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around him. I held on so tightly and breathed in his sweet scent. I couldn't imagine ever letting go.

"My brave, foolish, Bella,"

"Brave, yes. Foolish, how? I saved your life," I said slightly irritated. I looked into his golden eyes.

"Risking your life for me is a foolish endeavour when your life is at risk," he said mournfully.

"Edward, you are my life, I will go wherever you go. If you don't understand that then you're the foolish one" I said gently. I stroked the hair that had fallen on his divine face. "Tonight I'm your angel," I said smiling.

"You're always my angel, for now and ever more," he said. My heart skipped a beat.

I rested my head on his shoulder, my legs still firmly wrapped around his waist. He slowly walked up the stairs, holding me in his arms.

He laid me on the side of our bed. I didn't want to let him go. He gently but firmly prised my arms from around his neck and my legs from his waist. I pulled him by the arm towards me; I wasn't ready to let him go so easily.

"I'm not going anywhere," he chuckled, throwing off his tuxedo jacket.

"Of course, you aren't, you still have your wedding duties to carry out," I teased.

"Wedding duties?" he repeated in a faux-innocent voice.

"Yup," I said, as Edward hovered over me. "You're not going to disappoint your bride are you?"

He smirked at my challenge. He was ready to prove me wrong. His eyes smouldered with unspoken passion. They were the palest gold I had ever seen. They were so pale I could see dark green flecks in his irises. A reminder from his former life, perhaps? The image of Edward as a dying youth suddenly flashed before my eyes. Was it wrong to be grateful that he had almost died, giving Carlisle the opportunity to save him? I felt a strange mixture of sadness and gratitude. Edward studied the look on my face. It was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

He drew his face closer to mine and tilted up my face so that I could reach up to delicately kiss his eyes which he dutifully closed. My kiss was a thank you to his past for bringing him into my present and future life.

He kept stock still as I kissed his eyelids, his cheek and then along his jaw line. I rubbed my nose playfully against his and he stopped being a statue to return my Eskimo kiss which made me giggle.

"My turn," he whispered.

He kissed the base of my throat and worked his way up, planting kisses along my neck. He turned my face to the side and nuzzled behind my ear, kissing me and sending my heart aflutter. His sweet, cool breath felt amazing against my ear.

I combed my fingers through his copper hair which seemed to catch the light and reflect every shade of red. I loved running my hands through his soft hair. I stroked the nape of his neck as he kissed me underneath my chin.

I didn't want to stop but I was unsure on how far we were going to go tonight. Edward was still reluctant. He was scared of hurting me by accident and I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable in taking such a risk. And yet I didn't want to stop…

I reached for my sweater and pulled it up over my head. I threw it on the floor with one hand. Next, I felt for Edward's shirt buttons and began to undo them. Edward watched me cautiously as if he felt unsure of what was happening.

"I'm okay, Edward, just for tonight…please?"

I held the side of his face and stroked my thumb along his cheekbone. A renewed passion lit up in his eyes as he gazed down at me in amazement. He bit down on his lower lip and then rapidly looked away. He had all the traits of someone blushing except without the flush of colour to his iridescent cheeks. It dawned upon me that he'd never seen me only in my bra before. _A_ _new beginning, indeed._

"Are you…blushing, Edward Cullen? When will I stop being the virtue-stealing villain?" I smirked.

Edward didn't say anything except to lightly stroke his hand from the tip of my chin down to my bellybutton. My body tingled at his cool touch. I forgot I was capable of speech and let out a quiet moan.

He gently placed his body against mine. I let out an audible gasp. It felt so cold. I hadn't realised but my body temperature had lowered from being in the cold rain and Edward's naked torso against my body was making me shiver uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concerned eyes.

"y-y-yes," I said as another shiver convulsed through my body. Edward put his ear against my chest, listening to my heartbeat to reveal the truth.

"No, you're not,"

He got up and with a swift movement of his arm I was under the covers. He backed away from me, collecting my sweater from the floor and putting the electric heater on.

"No, don't leave me," I cried out.

I wanted him as close to me as physically possible. I had already spent too long being alone tonight.

I reached my arms out. He responded immediately and lay on the bed on top of the covers. I was entranced with his golden eyes, so full of caring and concern, like a true devoted husband. He brushed the hair from my face.

"Bella, we have all the time in the world but your body is exhausted. Sleep now. We've had enough of an adventure today," his voice was warm and reassuring. I imagined honey dripping slowly from a wooden spoon…that's what his voice would look like…

"Are you telling me you don't find hypothermia sexy?" I purred.

"Okay, now you really _are_ exhausted, sleep, my love,"

My body was slowly starting to warm up, and my shivers were dying down. I was warm enough to bring my arm out from underneath the covers and place it around Edward's waist as he lay on side next to me.

"Goodnight, my darling husband,"

"Goodnight, my sweet wife,"

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THE END

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